: I am hoping to get some feedback on sizing the loom for a Greenland paddle. I
: have the recommended sizing methods from the 'experts', (thanks to Ross
: Leidy's great webpage !) , but I hope to hear from some people who have
: built/used this paddle. My question is, how do you find the narrower grip?
: I see that the 'correct' grip is to hold the shoulder with the OK formed
: by the thumb and first finger, but wonder how many of you find this
: comfortable, or do you tend to wish you had made the loom a bit longer to
: allow both hands to fit within the length of the loom itself? I have never
: tried one, but wonder if I would find it more comfortable with the outside
: of my hands at the shoulders. I will be gluing up the blank in the next
: day or two and would like to hear any comments, one way or the other.

Kelly,

Earlier this month while I was in Greenland, I saw tremendous variation in the paddles. There is no magic formula for paddle sizing that works for everyone. For what it's worth, I feel that most folks make the paddle shaft slightly too short. If too short then you will be forced to adopt a sliding-stroke and may even suffer wrist problems. My personal method of sizing the shaft is to stand with your arms hanging naturally, then lift your forearms parallel to the ground. If you make a "circle" with the thumb and forefinger of each hand, the distance between the circles is a good starting point for the width of the loom. In this position my arms are not pressed against my ribcage. If you have a wide kayak or one with extreme volume to the foredeck, then this measurement is of little use. You will have to make the shaft wider to avoid busting your knuckles on the deck.

There are few absolutes with regards to Greenland paddles but I would strongly advise you against sizing the paddle shaft with the intention of placing all of your fingers on the shaft. Having the thumb and forefinger wrapped around the shaft at the paddle shoulder with your other fingers draped over the roots of each blade creates a very comfortable, sure grip, even with light pressure, enables you to feel the orientation of the paddle blades at all times and causes the paddle blades to tilt slightly forward. The forward tilting of the paddle is a popular technique in Greenland and many paddlers, including myself, believe that it makes a cleaner entry in the water, gives a better bite to the blade, reduces or eliminates flutter and reduces the effect of a wave striking the blade of the pushing hand (the Greenlanders are big on this last point).

There is a lot of clever design built into a traditional paddle and it does not take too much tinkering and "improvements" for many of the benefits to disappear.

The technique to efficiently use these paddles is somewhat different than what you learned for "Euro" paddles. You may find some of the information at the website below to be of help.

Greg Stamer